And Alex Southwell, a privacy lawyer at Gibson Dunn and a former federal prosecutor in NY, said the original rules still left room for people to sue Equifax over the original hack, even if they can't sue over the credit monitoring. Its TrustedID Premier setup does "3-Bureau credit monitoring of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit reports; copies of Equifax credit reports; the ability to lock and unlock Equifax credit reports; identity theft insurance; and Internet scanning for Social Security numbers". It's a bit like getting food poisoning from a restaurant and receiving a voucher for a free dinner at the same restaurant. Respond right away to letters from the IRS. It faces multiple state and federal investigations, and at least one multibillion-dollar class action lawsuit.

In the wake of the breach, many experts - including Hawaii's own consumer advocate - have urged consumers to consider putting a credit freeze on their accounts.

If you don't want the fox to guard the chicken coop, a free membership to MoneyTips includes a credit monitoring service at no charge.

The downside is you will have to unlock your freeze with a password anytime you want to buy a vehicle, a home equity loan, or new cell phone account.

But human behavior being what it is, only one in three Americans have ever even checked their personal credit reports, notes Khalfani-Cox, and less than 1 percent have used credit freezes since their inception.

The agencies advise you to plan ahead and lift a freeze a few days before actually applying for new credit. These services add another solid layer of protection against fraud. The oldest of the three major United States credit bureaus, it maintains information on over 800 million people for credit and insurance reports, which is also a juicy target for anyone trying to steal data. Unfortunately, identity thieves may have enough of your information to fool creditors.

A credit freeze aims to block anyone from opening new accounts in your name. When your credit is frozen, creditors can't get access to your credit file and will refuse to open accounts. But when you're not looking to take out any loans or open any lines of credit, it can be a financial lifesaver. The CFPB is led by director Richard Cordray, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

India Consumer Prices Rise 3.36%, More Than Forecast
India's annual retail inflation for August shot-up a full 1 per cent to 3.36 per cent, official data showed here on Tuesday. These effects were partially offset by airfares which rose more slowly than during last year's summer holidays.

A 43-year-old Auburn, Nebraska man has been killed in an accident involving his motorcycle and a auto , in Clay County, Kansas. The driver of the semi, 27-year-old Justin Eddie Horner of Kingman, received a possible injury in the crash.

The additional 30-day suspension without pay is the harshest sanction available short of removing him from office. Members of vulnerable groups need have no fear about the treatment they would receive in Justice Zabel's court.

And because they did it so well it's nearly impossible to nail down who the biggest winners for the purple were last night. However, in typical Dalvin Cook fashion, he rose to the occasion when the lights are the brightest.

More than 1.4 million customers lost power in Georgia, which was blasted by Irma's fierce winds and torrential downpours. The northeast part of Tampa Bay is likely to be affected by that surge, according to the National Weather Service .

Police blocked the entrance to the Florida Keys on Monday morning, according to the Miami Herald , to conduct rescue operations. Regardless of the two landfalls today, Hurricane Irma is still a strong category 2 with sustained winds of 115 miles per hour .

While making the rounds, Tebow ran into a World War II veteran who ended up playing a little harmonica for him. Coming off his first year in the New York Mets' minor league, Tebow batted.226 with eight homers in 126 games.

Some of the 10-inch-plus totals fell over population centers such as Naples, Fort Myers, Melbourne and Fort Pierce. He believes southwest Florida is the most impacted but cautions that numbers may rise as " Irma hasn't left".

Haney said some of the Early Warning Forecast Center's most trusted models have the storm tracking close to the eastern seaboard. The director of emergency services for Collier County, Dan Summers, said "We have dodged a bullet with the storm's track".

Tropical storms Jose, Katia upgraded to hurricane status
Katia transitioned from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Wednesday afternoon, and was a Category 2 hurricane as of 4 p.m. The announcement was made Wednesday afternoon when Jose's maximum winds hit 125 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour).

Indians To Try Jason Kipnis In Outfield
With one out, Manny Machado doubled to right field, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Jonathan Schoop. Carrasco has the numbers to be an ace, as he ranks among the American League leaders in numerous pitching categories.

The path of Hurricane Irma
A wobble earlier in the day sent bands of stronger winds, with gusts reaching 100 miles per hour , into Miami-Dade County. The far-flung island lost power and phone connections, but some news began to emerge from Key West late Sunday night.